Ben's Vocabulary

Some of you may know this already, but I have been freaking out curious about when Ben would start saying "real" words.  It seems silly, because I have read and completely understand that all kids are different and that they all will reach their various milestones at different ages - but when it's your kid, it becomes easy to focus on what they are NOT doing and worry - often times over nothing.

And at the same time, I also wonder if I am just not as fluent in "baby talk" as others might be?  I can tell that Ben will say/babble the same sounds when he is doing specific things - so perhaps that has been his attempt to "say" different words and he just isn't quite clear enough for me to count it as "real"?

ANYWAY - lately, as in the last couple weeks, things are starting to become more clear and slightly more consistent.  He definitely has the following word(s) down pat:

No
No ma (which I think means "no more" and "no mom")
Uh oh (used when he drops something or when we turn the TV off)
Mama (just really started using it intentionally, rather than before when he would just made those sounds in generel when I was around).
Dada (same as with Mama).
YumYumYum (when eating or wanting to eat something delicious).

He has started to sporadically say "hi", and he uses it correctly - like when one of us walks in the door.

While at Callie's house last week, he pointed to her eye and said "eyesmmmm" (lol) and also said "No Maylee" to Maylee.

He stood by his snack drawer and said "snackkkkkkk" once, but I think it may have been a coincidence ;)

He has repeated after me and said "Cracker" (kraaa-kerrrr) and "banana" (na-na-na) at least 4-5 times.

When he stands on the arm of the couch, he will almost always say a garbled version of "that's dangerous".

He has quacked like a duck exactly once. He has said "nay nay nay" when I asked him what a horse says a couple times.   He has "mowwed" at Maxwell a few times. 

I think that is the running total so far.  One of the more awesome things, however, has been his growing understanding of our daily routine and surroundings.  If I tell him daddy is home or Grandma is here, he knows to run to the front window to look for their cars and wave hi.  He knows that Grandma comes through the front door and daddy will come through the garage.  He knows where his room is, which bathroom he brushes his teeth in and which bathroom he takes a bath in.  He knows to run to his highchair when it's time to eat, he knows to wait at the microwave for his bottle and then run to the couch to drink it.  He knows when I ask him if he wants to go outside, that he needs to run to the garage to put his shoes on.  He knows that his socks and shoes go on his feet and he sort of attempts (unsuccessfully) to put them on himself.  He knows where one's eyes, nose, mouth, hair, cheeks, belly, feet, toes, hands, and ears (and probably a few other body parts) are - and will point to them when he feels like it ;) 

I'm blogging this simply as a way to keep track of all of this for myself!  It amazes me how much he understands right now.  He truly is no longer a "baby" and is on his way to being such a big kid.